Learn Why You Should Consider Outsourcing Your Work

If you are a small business owner and you need to reduce expenses or become more efficient, you should consider outsourcing your work. Find out how this can help your business and what to be wary of.

Outsourcing Myths

When most people think of business outsourcing, they immediately imagine huge corporations shipping customer service and IT jobs overseas.

The belief was that outsourcing get you cheap labor even though it may not be of great quality.

While that may be where the industry started, that is not where it is today.

Small business owners have many reasons to consider outsourcing parts of their business and there are many quality options available.

The Truth About Outsourcing Your Work

In the past, outsourcing means shipping jobs overseas. However, the rise of freelancing sites give you the ability to outsource just about anything you want, and you can select the quality of the freelancer you want to hire.

If you want to hire someone to handle pieces of your work for the cheapest rate possible, those people can be found.

If you’re interested in making sure you get the highest quality of freelancer to handle detailed, complicated pieces of your business, those people are available too.

Why You Should Consider Outsourcing

Outsourcing has become a great new way for small business owners to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and maximize profits.

The idea behind outsourcing is to take advantage of the most expert help available, without incurring the substantial costs associated with hiring and training a new employee.

When you learn how to outsource projects and tasks that are not the central purpose of your small business, you free up your time and energy to focus on whatever it is that your specific business does best.

Outsourcing your work can also:

Move many of your fixed expenses to variable expenses

Control capital costs

Reduce labor costs

Increase efficiency

Reduce risk

Enable you to start new projects quickly

here to Look for Freelancers to Hire

Websites like Elance, Guru, and Odesk all match small business owners who have ongoing and temporary projects with professional freelancers.

These sites charge no upfront fee to the small business. (Fees for the website are taken as a portion of the payment to the freelance professional.)

What You Should Consider

Some examples of small business projects and tasks that can be economically and productively outsourced are:

Office work

Writing

Design work

Marketing

Setting up and running an online store

Public relations

Accountants

Attorneys

Computer programmers

PC setup and repair

You can also consider outsourcing your work to a virtual assistant.

Virtual assistants started out performing clerical tasks and managing personal errands. However, the industry has evolved and you can now find a virtual assistant to help with any part of your business that you need.

A virtual assistant can be trained to manage multiple pieces of your pieces so they can fill in wherever they are needed

Disadvantages to Outsourcing Your Work

Knowing how to outsource your work effectively can save a small business a lot of money, while at the same time free up energy for more profitable pursuits, but there are some disadvantages and pitfalls.

Be realistic about your outsourcing plans and start small.

A few of the drawbacks include:

Less Control

Outsourced projects are not directly under your personal managerial control, so you must make an effort to check in on the work to make sure it is proceeding as planned, and the quality is acceptable.

Just as not every employee works out as well as you might have hoped, not every independent contractor who handles your outsourced project will deliver what you expect each and every time.

False Starts and Dead Ends

It may take several false starts and a few unsatisfactory experiences before you find the right outsourcing firms or individuals. Be prepared for some setbacks and a few false starts before finding the right person or firm.

Someone Has to Manage Your Outsourced Work

It doesn’t have to be you, but someone has to be in charge of keeping track of everything, especially if you have decided to outsource a number of projects.

Be realistic about your time. If you won’t be able to track outsourced work yourself, assign the task to an employee you trust so your outsourced projects don’t get derailed.

Outsourcing Your Work Conclusion

In today’s competitive small business environment, working hard isn’t enough. Working smart and working hard is what you want, and outsourcing your work is a great way to get the best of all possible worlds at a price you can afford. It may take awhile to set up the outsourcing you need, but once you do, the financial rewards can be substantial.